LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA – Ben Hayward of Edmonton had an impressive weekend as he broke into the final at the second ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Ljubljana, Slovakia.
Ben Hayward (file photo: Rfort Fotos)
Hayward stepped up his ranking significantly on Saturday after qualifying 31st in the heat on Friday. A fast and clean run in the semi-final landed him in sixth position heading into the top-ten final where a few touches landed him tenth.“My goal this year was to make a world cup final so I am pretty excited that it happened so early on in the race circuit,” said Hayward. “I think I was finally able to sort out my mental prep for these big races. Now it’s on to the next goal of bringing home a medal for Canada.”
Hayward and his three Canadian teammates will continue on to the third ICF World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic starting on Friday. World Cups 4 and 5 will take place in August and World Championships will be held in Maryland, USA in September.
Summary of Results
| Athlete | Event | Result |
| Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) | Men’s K1 | 10th in final (109.98) |
| Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) | Men’s C1 | 34th in heat (125.56) |
| Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s K1 | 41st in heats (112.21) |
| David Ford (Edmonton, AB) | Men’s K1 | 46th in heats (114.69) |
CanoeKayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. The organization’s vision is to be a Canadian sport for families, communities and champions. From supporting clubs to developing a competitive National Team, CanoeKayak Canada works to grow a sport which is a rich part of Canada’s heritage.
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For more information:
James Cartwright
Slalom High Performance Manager, CanoeKayak Canada
613.715.0727 | 613.260.1818 x 2205
jcartwright@canoekayak.ca